Aurora Project Manager

We are looking for an Aurora Project Manager with a strong financial coordination and reporting profile. If you enjoy working at the intersection of project management and European cooperation, we invite you to apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Your function

Job description

The Aurora Project Manager is a key coordinating role within the Aurora Central Office. Working closely with the Secretary-General and alongside another Project Manager with a complementary focus on educational development, the Project Manager supports the financial management, reporting, and overall implementation of the European University alliance programme.

The role combines financial coordination, EU-level reporting, project monitoring, and stakeholder interaction in a complex international environment involving multiple universities, task teams, and external bodies, including the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

Your duties

Aurora 2030 Programme coordination and support to the Secretary-General

• Provide operational and tactical support to the Secretary-General (SG) in the implementation of the Aurora alliance programme
• Contribute to the realisation of the project plan and cross-alliance coordination
• Support the SG with the preparation, attendance, planning, and follow-up of FOREU4ALL and EACEA meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and other governance and coordination meetings

Aurora 2030 Reporting and compliance

• Coordinate continuous and periodic reporting, including progress and final reports
• Organise and support data gathering from Task Teams (TTs) and Work Packages (WPs)
• Structure, analyse, and consolidate qualitative and quantitative, including financial, data
• Ensure timely and compliant delivery of project deliverables, including alignment with required formats and reporting guidelines
• Monitor milestones, deliverables, and deadlines
• Support TT and WP leads throughout reporting cycles
• Upload and manage submissions via the EACEA portal
• Act as a central contact point for project management communication with EACEA, including reviews and follow-up actions

Financial management and coordination

• Support the lead university, the University of Iceland, in the financial management of the Aurora 2030 alliance programme
• Contribute to financial planning, monitoring, and internal coordination across partners
• Develop and maintain clear financial overviews and timelines
• Support financial reporting in line with EU funding rules and requirements

Strategic development and external engagement

• Support the preparation of future funding applications, including new or parallel projects under EU and other international calls
• Monitor and coordinate initiatives related to new funding opportunities
• Maintain and develop working relationships with other European University alliances
• Support engagement with relevant external stakeholders and partners
• Promote Aurora tools, results, and opportunities across the alliance
• Potentially contribute to the integration of new member universities

Your profile

We are looking for a colleague who:

• Holds a Master’s degree or higher qualification
• Has at least 5-7 years of relevant experience in project management roles, ideally within EU-funded or internationally funded programmes
• Has strong experience with financial and administrative coordination, reporting, and compliance
• Is familiar with EU funding frameworks, reporting cycles, and accountability requirements
• Has experience working in complex, multi-partner and international environments
• Can combine financial accuracy with a pragmatic, solution-oriented mindset
• Is proactive, reliable, and comfortable navigating institutional complexity

Desired skills

• Has experience in higher education or in comparable EU-funded policy, research, or cooperation environments; higher education experience is an asset, not a requirement
• Experienced in using project management tools

Competences

• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Flexibility and the ability to improvise
• Good interpersonal communication skills
• Dynamic, energetic and has a positive mindset
• Team player

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world.

• A position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 18 months. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• Contribution to commuting expenses
• Hybrid working enables a good work-life balance
• Optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

Aurora

Aurora is a network of research-intensive universities in Europe committed to matching academic excellence with societal relevance. Aurora serves as a high-trust platform in which university leaders, academics, students and administrators learn from and with each other how to make their universities more successful in achieving their shared mission.

Aurora is part of the European Universities initiative funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. In November 2023, the 2nd funding period under this initiative has started as the Aurora 2030 programme. The Copenhagen Business School is also member of this Aurora 2030 programme. In addition, 4 universities in Central and Eastern Europe collaborate with Aurora in the Aurora 2030 programme.

Department of University Relations & Fundraising

The Department of University Relations & Fundraising (DURF) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam focuses on external relations, external partnerships and philanthropic fundraising.

Are you interested in joining the Department of University Relations and Fundraising? You will work alongside 20 active, enthusiastic colleagues. Professionals in the areas of fundraising, communications, event management, relationship management, administrative support, finance and human resource management make up our multifaceted team.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.